The National CASA/GAL announces the appointment of Emily Bowling, Executive Director, CASA of Northeast Oklahoma to the National CASA/GAL Tribal Leadership Council.
Serving a two-year term, Bowling, along with child welfare leaders from across the nation, will play an integral role in voicing the unique needs of 893 local programs in the National CASA/GAL network. In 2023, the CASA/GAL network, with its 71,000 volunteers, served 201,000 children who were involved in judicial proceedings related to abuse or neglect. With approximately 569,000 children in foster care annually, the leadership council will focus its efforts on ensuring that the network achieves its mission of serving all children through best-interest advocacy.
“The National CASA/GAL Leadership Councils are vital part of our strategic priorities to reduce the number of children in foster care, strengthen and preserve families, and expand our network,” said national CASA/GAL Chief Executive Officer, Tara Lisa Perry. “We are so excited and grateful to have Emily Bowling providing her insight and expertise as we strive to move our mission forward on behalf of all children who have experienced abuse or neglect.”
The National Tribal Leadership Council is committed to working with tribal courts, addressing the unique needs of tribal CASA programs and the tribal courts they serve. To make recommendations to and work with National CASA/GAL on developing a network- wide plan to meet those needs.
CASA of Northeast Oklahoma works everyday with Native American children helping them find permanent homes either through reunification with their parents or in an adoptive home consistent with the placement preferences articulated in the Indian Child Welfare Act. CASA volunteers ensure that children are in ICWA-compliant placements and that active efforts are being provided to native American families in our District Courts. 55% of the children CASA of Northeast Oklahoma provide services to are Native Americans.
“We are very proud of Emily to have been chosen for this very important role. As a CASA Board Member and especially as a member of the Cherokee Nation, I know it will be very beneficial to have someone from our area expressing the unique needs of our tribal courts. I think she will represent Ottawa County, where nine tribes call home, and all of the tribes of northeast Oklahoma, well. Congratulations Emily on your appointment,” said Kit Waters Ulrey, CASA of Northeast Oklahoma Board of Directors.
“We are very proud of Emily to have been chosen for this very important role. As a CASA Board Member and especially as a member of the Cherokee Nation, I know it will be very beneficial to have someone from our area expressing the unique needs of our tribal courts. I think she will represent Ottawa County, where nine tribes call home, and all of the tribes of northeast Oklahoma, well. Congratulations Emily on your appointment,” said Kit Waters Ulrey, CASA of Northeast Oklahoma Board of Directors.
Bowling joined CASA of Northeast Oklahoma in 2012 as Advocate Coordinator and was promoted to Assistant Director in 2014 and to Executive Director in 2024. Her responsibilities include the overall management of the agency and its operations in the six counties (Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Ottawa, Rogers, Washington) in northeast Oklahoma where services are provided. She began her career with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, serving as an intake child welfare and a permanency caseworker. A graduate of Pryor High School and Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Science: Child and Family Services and a minor in Business Administration. Since joining CASA of Northeast Oklahoma, she has been instrumental in the expansion efforts into unserved and underserved counties in the region. Her interests include spending time with her family and gardening. She is an avid OSU fan!
“I am both honored and humbled to have been appointed to this important national role, said Bowling. “As a member of the council, I look forward to having an opportunity to provide input and understanding regarding the unique needs of tribal CASA programs and tribal courts we work in, as well as the needs of all abused and neglected children living in foster care in northeast Oklahoma. I am looking forward to bringing our successes and challenges to a network that makes us stronger as we strengthen our work across the nation.”
The CASA movement is central to fulfilling society’s fundamental obligation by making sure a qualified, compassionate adult will fight for and protect a child’s right to be safe, to be treated with dignity and respect and learn and grow in the safe embrace of a loving family.
About CASA of Northeast Oklahoma:
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Northeast Oklahoma is a local nonprofit organization that trains volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in the court system in northeast Oklahoma. Incorporated in May 1995 (celebrating 30th Anniversary), CASA (then Tri-County CASA) was formed serving Rogers, Mayes, and Craig County. It is now a regional program serving six counties (Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Ottawa, Rogers, Washington) in northeast Oklahoma, plus the Shawnee Tribal Court. CASA of Northeast Oklahoma envisions a world where every abused and neglected child has a CASA volunteer appointed to represent his or her best interests, where all children have a safe, permanent, nurturing home and where they can thrive.
For more information about CASA of Northeast Oklahoma and volunteer and donation opportunities, please visit www.casaneok.org or call 918-923-7276.
